The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-07-29
THE MAGIC OF MONEY.

THE MAGIC OF MONEY.
How Attorney Amasa Snow Got
on His Feet
Amasa Snow sat in his little law Of
ice. his feet on the top rim of his stove,
and his stove full of wood and red hot.
His Office was about rod from his
house. and quite near the high wooden
gate leading into the village street
Over the door one read: ''ProthonOtary
end Attorney-at-law." 1t was a huge,
faded sign in black letters; one could
not 60 by Amasa Shows Office and not
know of the business of its occupant.
The trouble with the sign was it was
mot .lluring enough. Squire Slayton.
down the street, with very small sign
and over a grocery store. and without
= big wide house, and \ family name
and connection-Squire Slayton some
how got all the business there was GO
ing in East Chcstcrville. Amasa Snow
SAT tilted back in his wooden armchair,
pulling his long chin beard. scratching
the few gray hairs in his sloping gray
head. and trying to conjurc up some
new scheme by which he could beat
Slayton again, and defer the foreclosure
sale. He had deferred it FIVE times on
.one excuse and another; but Stay
ton had him this time; there was
NO help for it The old place would
have to be sold-the old place where
his boyhood had been passed until he
went away to college, and where he
had lived ever since, and seen his six
girls grow up about him. His six girls!
He reached down and broke splinter
off bit of pine-wood by the stove.
and began to chew hard on it. What
would become of the girls? Every one
a beauty in his eyes; every one worthy
of marrying the Governor of the State.
How could he tell them that the sale of
their old home could be postponed no
longer; that every device and trick.
and every legal bubble. had been tried
and tried again7 He dared not tell the
girls He looked out of the window;
1t was raining. An April shower, to
be sure. with q prospect of golden
sunset later on, but making every thing
outside under the trees look very mud
dy and dismal. Amasa Snow felt very
depressed. Fate appeared to be against
him
What was to be done? He had Dor
rowed from every one in the town. He
could borrow no longer. If the old
place were sold at twice its value il
would not pay his debts. He had lived
well, and his six motherless girls had
never known how poor he was. ''Oh!'
he groaned, as he rose and stood with
his back to that hot stove-''oh, how
can 1 get on my feet?"
There were his law books couple
of thousand dingy calf volumes, not
kept up to date, the inheritance from
the Judge. his father. but even the law
books were 'chatteled,' as they said.
i G.. mortgage quite beyond their value.
Every thing he had. in fact, was mort
gagged. He had come this wet April
day to the end of things. Next
week came the sale. He felt like say
ing-the delugc. He had not enough
money to take him and his family out
West
That was his ri:.s-to 60 West. He
hardly felt his fifty years. He fel,
young and energetic when he thought
of the West BY the way. there wa.
his brother. Elisha-his brother who in
his youth was SO much like him. he
was West-in California He had NOT
seen him for twenty years. The last
he had heard from him was request to
send on a hundred dollars. That was
i've years ago. He had sent him fifty.
and nothing had been heard from
Elisha since, except his name Endorsed
across the back of the check, showing
that he had received the money.
No. it was clear that Elisha could
never help him. Elisha had caused
him to loose several thousand dollars
once in a mine Elisha's name was al
ways great bugbear in his family
since. No. Elisha could not be ex-
pected to help him. Stay! An idea.
Amasa Snow began to poke the red-hot
fire vigorously. 1t was q bleak. raw
day, but the fire was hot enough in
that little Office if left alone. An idea.
Elisha should be made to help him. 1t
was last hope. but it fired him with
enthusiasm. He reached up into a
dusty bookcase and got down file of
letters He was looking for Elisha's
address
just then there came tap at the Of
flee door. Amasa turned around. ''By
thunder!" he cried. nearly carried of
his feet with establishment "It's Elisha
-is proprsa personar'
II have come home" said Elisha.
meekly. Il have come home-to neigh
.bor round"
s.And Just in the nick of time, Elisha
Mighty glad am to see your Then
n thought occurred to him, as he shook
his brothers hand, with that feeble
wave in the air SO common in Southern
Connecticut, he would not tell Elisha
of his financial condition. He might
not help him if he did. No. he would
keep his own counsel